Michael Arthur Raynor (born 1962) is an American Foreign Service Officer specializing in relations with Africa who has served as the United States ambassador to Senegal and the United States ambassador to Guinea-Bissau since 2022. He was the United States ambassador to Ethiopia^[1] until January 2021.^[2] He previously served as the Director of the Office of Career Development and Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources of the United States Department of State.^[3][4] Raynor served as United States Ambassador to Benin from 2012 to 2015 after being nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Prior to his post in Benin, he was deputy executive director and then executive director of the Bureau of African Affairs.

Raynor earned his bachelor's degree in 1984 from Lafayette College, going on to obtain a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.^[5]

Raynor is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having joined the United States Foreign Service in 1988.^[6] He has served eight U.S. missions overseas, including six in Africa. He has been assigned to the U.S. embassy in Brazzaville, the consular officer at the embassy in Luxembourg, and the U.S. embassies in Djibouti City, Conakry, and Windhoek. He was a desk officer for Zimbabwe before becoming legislative management officer and special assistant in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Raynor was the management counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Harare from 2004 to 2008.^[5]

After returning from his post in Harare, Raynor was named deputy executive director of the Bureau of African Affairs in 2008. In 2010, he was elevated to executive director.

Raynor is the recipient of the State Department’s Leamon R. Hunt Award for Management Excellence.^[10]

Raynor speaks French.^[10]

• Ambassadors of the United States